HRT 101

There’s a lot of different forms that HRT comes in and its impacts vary from person to person. Generally, different forms available include injections, gels, patches, pellets, pills; this may vary depending on if you’re taking estrogen or testosterone and the provider you go to. Typically, people taking testosterone opt for subcutaneous injections or gel, and people taking estrogen opt for pills or injections.

Make sure you consider your lifestyle, general health, and insurance before choosing a form of HRT. Risks of both are closely monitored with regular blood work, and both have reversible and irreversible effects. Are you comfortable with needles? Do you have sensitive skin? Are you able to keep up with daily medications? Are you a caregiver for somebody who would be harmed if they absorbed the hormones you were taking?

Remember: HRT is NOT birth control. While it may impact fertility, there are no guarantees. Make sure you continue practicing safe sex and taking birth control (if it applies) if you are sexually active.

Some major providers of HRT in Seattle include Hall Health, UW Medicine, and Planned Parenthood. Most use informed consent, which means that you are told everything about your treatment plan (HRT) and are working with the physician to make your decision. They'll go through all the risks and effects with you, make sure you don’t have any interfering medical conditions or mental health conditions, ask you why you want to start HRT, and then you will be approved to start (although they typically require some blood work to be done to check your baseline levels). Your medical provider for gender care should be the ones teaching you how to self-administer your HRT, make sure you feel confident and don’t be afraid to ask questions about how to do it.

Want to learn more about the medical side of HRT? Check out this link: https://transline.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/360047702053/TransLine_HRT_Guidelines_FINAL.pdf

Although these images are a bit old, they illustrate a general timeline for changes to set in.